Chapter 789

After returning home in the evening, Lin Dongfan found the living room changed.

The coffee table was spread with colorful fabrics, design drawings, and a pile of sparkling rhinestones. Chu Lingxi sat cross-legged on the carpet, holding needle and thread, bent over sewing something.

A speck of dust clung to the tip of her nose, her hair casually tied into a bun, a few strands of loose hair hanging down; her focused look was somewhat cute.

"Teacher Chu, switched careers?" Lin Dongfan took off his coat, walked over smiling and ruffled her head: "Not a dancer anymore, now a tailor?"

"Don't mess around."

Chu Lingxi replied without looking up: "The school anniversary is coming up; our department is putting on a new dance drama. Time is tight, we can't order new costumes in time, so I'm altering a few old performance outfits."

Lin Dongfan squatted down, picked up a semi-finished piece, and examined it closely.

It was a black long dress, with a ring of low-quality rhinestones sewn around the waist, flashing somewhat glaringly under the light—in short, showy but insubstantial.

"This… taste is quite unique." Lin Dongfan gave a diplomatic evaluation.

"You don't understand, this is art." Chu Lingxi snatched the skirt back: "When the lights hit, the audience downstairs can't tell real from fake. The money saved can even rent the rehearsal hall for two extra days."

She said this, then suddenly thought of something.

She raised her head and asked again: "By the way, is your so-called Leading Group supposed to investigate irregular reimbursements and extravagant waste?"

Lin Dongfan felt alert: "What scheme are you cooking up again?"

"Nothing."

Chu Lingxi said: "Just today I heard coworkers gossiping that Zhao Group sponsored the city's enterprise culture festival last year, with stage construction alone costing over five million, all using imported equipment. After the event ended, that equipment was piled in a warehouse gathering dust. Later, some leader borrowed a few sets of audio equipment for home renovation."

"Is it the kind of loan that doesn't need to be repaid?" Lin Dongfan asked.

Chu Lingxi nodded with an affirmative hum, her needle and thread nearly done; seeing her set aside the scissors, she actually bit the thread off with her teeth.

Lin Dongfan couldn't help glancing again at the scissors beside her—could this thing be poisoned and unusable?

Speechless, he appealed to heaven!

Lin Dongfan put aside his thoughts and asked again: "Which warehouse?"

"Probably Warehouse 3 at the Western Suburbs Logistics Park." Chu Lingxi lowered her head and continued sewing another dance costume, casually: "I heard it from others too, not necessarily accurate. But if someone goes to check, they might uncover the truth. If true, would this count as misappropriation of state assets?"

"Yes."

Facing this sweetly naive wife, Lin Dongfan could only respond with a smile.

"Besides..." Chu Lingxi recalled another matter: "Isn't Zhao Group always sponsoring cultural events? Their brand director came to school yesterday, saying they'd sponsor our dance drama, offering two hundred thousand upfront, but with the condition that his mistress play the female lead."

"Did you agree?"

"Of course not; my dance drama couldn't possibly let a connection ruin it. But I pretended to consider, chatting with him a while longer—guess what?"

"What did he say?"

"At the time he was drunk, reeking of alcohol. He boasted shamelessly in front of me, claiming their General Manager in Wuzhou could get anything done. You weren't there to see his smug face—he was utterly arrogant. I'm still the Mayor's wife, yet he didn't bother to find out. To brag to my face like that—speechless."

"He doesn't know you?"

"He doesn't know me, and I never told anyone my husband is the Mayor. He also said that who gets the landscaping project for the Municipal Party Committee compound, and who doesn't, is just a word from their General Manager."

"The landscaping project of the Municipal Party Committee compound?"

"Exactly, those flowers and grass downstairs. The winning company is called 'Green Wild Landscaping,' the legal person surnamed Su, apparently Su Qingyu, brother-in-law of Zhao Tianyu. As for the bid, it's forty percent above market price."

Lin Dongfan fell silent.

He comes and goes daily at the Municipal Party Committee compound, never noticing how much those flowers and grass are worth. If even such a small project requires his hand, then Zhao Group's reach is deeper than he imagined.

Lin Dongfan reached out to smooth Chu Lingxi's hair, praising: "No wonder you're the Mayor's wife—your intelligence work is impressive."

"That's right." Chu Lingxi lifted her chin proudly: "But let me be clear—I'm doing this to rid the people of harm, not to help you stir up trouble. I just can't stand them bullying people, bullying widows and orphans like Liu Guizhi, bullying our art institute's background-less girls, and even bullying the flowers and grass."

Lin Dongfan chuckled.

"By the way..." Chu Lingxi suddenly turned serious: "Yang Qing called me today; he wants to send his two kids to study in Jingcheng, and also hopes to transfer Teacher Xu to work in Jing."

"Later, give your aunt a call and have her handle it." Lin Dongfan replied offhand.

Chu Lingxi continued sewing the skirt while

responding: "Hmm, I'll call auntie tomorrow. Teacher Xu is a nice person, gentle and patient; transferring him to Jingcheng to teach elementary school will surely be fine."

She said this, then suddenly thought of something.

She raised her head and winked at Lin Dongfan: "By the way, auntie called yesterday asking if you've been feeling wronged in Wuzhou, why you're all swords drawn as soon as you took office."

Lin Dongfan chuckled: "Auntie's information is still pretty well-informed."

"That's right, she knows everything." Chu Lingxi's needle and thread didn't stop, nor did her mouth: "She also said that if these people in Wuzhou go too far, she'll have her younger uncle talk to them. Although—I doubt the younger uncle would show up for this—but hearing it feels warm."

Lin Dongfan nodded noncommittally; Auntie Xie Yinxin, though retired, has never ceased her care for the younger generation of the Lin family.

"Besides..." Chu Lingxi changed to a different colored thread, continuing to sew the skirt's decoration: "Today while buying needles and thread, I ran into an acquaintance at the mall."

"Who?"

"Zhao Tianyu's sister, Zhao Linlin, who is also the wife of Su Qingyu, the boss of Green Wild Landscaping." Chu Lingxi's tone carried a hint of "what a small world": "We'd met twice before at charity galas in Jingcheng—not close, but she knows me. What a coincidence—she opened a high-end beauty salon in Wuzhou called 'Linyan Time,' beautifully decorated. She was especially enthusiastic, insisting I sit down and have tea."

Lin Dongfan raised his eyebrows slightly: "Oh? What did she talk to you about?"

"Nothing special, really." Chu Lingxi tilted her head recalling: "She mainly talked about how amiable she is, constantly complimenting my skin and asking where I do maintenance. Hearing I teach dance at Jianglan Daxue, she said she'd like to send her daughter to learn from me, noting her daughter loves to jump around."

"Didn't she mention her brother or her husband's business?" Lin Dongfan asked.

"She mentioned a little, but only complaints about hardship." Chu Lingxi imitated Zhao Linlin's gentle yet weary tone: "She said her husband Su Qingyu is busy all day, never seen; though the company has taken on many projects, the pressure is huge, often causing insomnia. She also sighed, saying her brother constantly claims her husband is too soft, not cut out for business, so many things need her brother to oversee—it sounds really tough."

She paused for a moment.

Chu Lingxi then added with a chuckle: "But she soon laughed and said, we're family, helping each other is natural. She also told me, your family's Mayor Lin just started work, surely swamped with a thousand threads, so be more understanding of you, don't just focus on your own dancing. Look, she's still a decent person, caring about others."

Lin Dongfan nodded thoughtfully.

Zhao Linlin's words seemed like everyday complaints, yet they subtly revealed several points of information:

One, Su Qingyu's position within the Zhao Group system may not be solid, possibly even looked down upon by Zhao Tianyu; two, Zhao Tianyu is deeply involved in his brother-in-law's business; three, Zhao Linlin herself seems to value family harmony and kinship, showing great concern for her husband.

"Did she say anything else?" Lin Dongfan asked.

"Well... we talked about the kids' schooling, saying school district housing is expensive now and education is overcompetitive."

Chu Lingxi suddenly exclaimed: "Oh right, she inadvertently mentioned that her husband has been worried about some logistics park project lately, to the point his hair is falling out more, and he stays up late in the study looking at documents."

She also said wistfully, "No matter how much money you make, what's the use without health?"

"In short, I feel she's quite a traditional woman who puts family first, unlike the arrogant rich wife I imagined."

Chu Lingxi finished speaking, then picked up her needle and thread.

She muttered to herself: "But the beauty set she gave me is really high-end, a niche luxury brand from abroad—I haven't even dared to open it. Hey, do you think I should return the gift? How about giving her a dance scarf I designed? She has a gentle demeanor, and a light-colored scarf would look nice on her."

Seeing Sha Bai Tian already seriously pondering the reciprocity question, completely immersed in the "normal social" channel, Lin Dongfan couldn't help but smile.

"That's pretty good."

Sha Bai Tian doesn't need to know the important information hidden in these conversations; she just needs to maintain this purity and goodwill.

"Returning a gift is proper, reciprocity is courtesy." Lin Dongfan gave Sha Bai Tian the respect she deserved: "Just follow your idea; giving a scarf is fine. In dealing with her, keep a normal mindset, no need to deliberately probe anything. But also be careful not to leak our family affairs, especially details of my work."

"Got it, I know my limits."

Chu Lingxi smiled sweetly: "I just think she's a nice person, could be a friend. In Wuzhou I don't have many acquaintances either; having more sisters to drink tea and chat with would be nice."

Lin Dongfan looked at her guileless smile, and his thoughts became clear.

Zhao Linlin—Zhao Tianyu's sister and Su Qingyu's wife—is likely a key, yet-untainted "white spot."

Her concern for her husband is genuine, and her desire for family stability is strong.

If Zhao Tianyu's behavior becomes increasingly reckless, even threatening Su Qingyu's safety or the integrity of this family, Zhao Linlin's attitude might change.

And this could be an unpredictable variable that no one can foresee, yet capable of shifting the situation.

But Sha Bai Tian's safety also cannot be overlooked.

Lin Dongfan reminded Sha Bai Tian: "From now on, when you go out, remember to bring your bodyguard, don't forget. Especially when interacting with the Zhao family, you must not be careless; safety must come first."

"Mm."

Chu Lingxi nodded happily, holding up the mended dress to admire: "Done! Looks like my skills haven't rusted. Husband, am I awesome?"

"Awesome, my Chu teacher is the most awesome."

Lin Dongfan praised her sincerely.

His gaze swept over his wife's pure, satisfied profile, then turned to the dark night outside the window. The situation in Wuzhou is intricate, but the pieces are not simply black and white.